Businessman Paulo Figueiredo requested that the U.S. government apply Magnitsky Act sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court ministers Alexandre de Moraes and Gilmar Mendes [1].
The request represents an attempt to use American legal mechanisms to pressure the Brazilian judiciary. It signals a deepening conflict between political allies of the Bolsonaro family and the nation's highest court.
Figueiredo, an ally of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, submitted the document to officials in Washington, D.C. on May 1, 2026 [1]. The Magnitsky Act allows the U.S. government to sanction foreign government officials who they determine have committed gross violations of human rights, or acts of significant corruption.
The move targets two of the most influential figures in the Brazilian Supreme Court. The request reflects a broader political opposition to the actions and rulings of the ministers within the court [1, 2].
By targeting Moraes and Mendes, the request seeks to isolate the justices internationally. This strategy aims to restrict the ministers' ability to hold assets or travel within the U.S. if the sanctions are approved.
The request was sent as a formal document to the U.S. government [1]. It follows a pattern of political tension where allies of the former president seek external intervention to challenge domestic judicial decisions.
“Paulo Figueiredo requested that the U.S. government apply Magnitsky Act sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court ministers.”
This request highlights the internationalization of Brazil's internal judicial disputes. By invoking the Magnitsky Act, political actors are attempting to pivot from domestic legal appeals to diplomatic and financial pressure via the U.S. Treasury. Whether the U.S. government acts on such a request depends on the evidentiary threshold for human rights violations, but the move serves as a symbolic escalation in the tension between the Bolsonaro camp and the Supreme Court.
